Nyepi to be Bali Sightseeing and Its Benefits for Environment

Silent
Day or local people usually call as Nyepi is one of the biggest celebration day
of Hindu and is becoming one of the best sightseeing in Bali from your hotel. This
day celebrates the Caka New Year and is based on Caka Calendar. The main
purpose of Nyepi Day is to plead before God, to purify Bhuana Alit (human nature / microcosmic) and Bhuana Agung (universe / macrocosmic).

As
an island with majority of Hindu, Bali is being the spotlight of this Nyepi day
celebration. Just like its name, during Nyepi Day (comes from word ‘Sepi’ which means ‘Silent’) Hindus in
Bali are prohibited to do work, including public services, except hospitals.

This
year, Nyepi Day will begin at 6:00 AM on Thursday, March 7 and ends at 6:00 AM
on Friday, March 8 (All times are in Central Indonesia Time). For you who want
to add Nyepi Day to your Bali sightseeing package, you need to know that no one
is allowed to go outside from houses and make noises during this day. Also,
since 2018, internet network for cellphones is shut down during the day.

Besides,
Nyepi inspires the world by raising up World Silent Day every March 21. In
additions, here are some other unique facts about Nyepi that you need to know
before deciding to spend the day in Bali.

Prohibitions for Hindus

The
main celebration of Nyepi Day is not done with great fanfare and celebration,
but with the implementation of Catur
Brata Penyepian or is usually called Four Prohibitions. The Four
Prohibitions that are carried out by Hindus during Nyepi Day consist of Amati Karya (not working), Amati Lelungan (not traveling), Amati Geni (not lighting the fire), and Amati Lelanguan (not having fun). Because
of this prohibitions, we need to respect Hindu people by simply not going
outside, not making noises and not turning lights on.

Silent Roads

Since
nobody is allowed to go outside, the roads become very silent. There will be
some Pecalang or the officer of Nyepi
Day who will be patrolling and monitoring the situation. During the day, it is
not prohibited to have your vehicles on the roads, except ambulances for
emergency situation. Also, flight tickets are not sold because the airport stops
operating on Nyepi Day. Bus stations, ports, and toll roads are also closed.

Beautiful Starry Night

Since
the lights are turned off during the night and there is no vehicles run on the
roads, night sky in Bali will be studded with stars that can be seen with naked
eyes. This phenomenon is very beautiful. For you who want to see the sky view,
please note that you can only have this Bali sightseeing from your hotels!

Series of Cultural Performances

To
celebrate this silent day, there are many cultural performances before and
after Nyepi. For example, two days before Nyepi, Hindus will have Melasti by going and praying at the sea.
The day before Nyepi, they have Pengrupukan
or Ogoh-ogoh parade that have been
one of the best Bali sightseeing attractions. In some areas, there is a
tradition named Omed-omedan or smooching
procession to avoid bad lucks which is celebrated the day after Nyepi.

Benefits for Environment

As no vehicles are prohibited to run on Nyepi, this leads to reduction of amount of carbon dioxide by 20,000 tons every day. Nyepi can save 60% of electricity usage or it can save 4 billion Rupiahs (290 Megawatts). Also, diesel fuel is saved by 500,000 liters and steam-powered electric generator in Bali can be rested.

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